AI Governance
Data Centers
Drones
Climate
Privacy
2026 Maine Senate
Bob Dylan
Last Update: 09/15/2026 at 6:33 PM EST
Record Heat Nears Climate Thresholds
Coverage from Yale Climate Connections, ABC7 New York, and others
What's Going On
August 2026 ranked as the hottest August in multiple global datasets and tied July 2023 for the hottest month in the Copernicus record, with global temperatures about 1.
65 degrees Celsius above the preindustrial average. Human-caused warming was identified as the main driver, while a strengthening El Niño added short-term heat and could contribute to further records. Record heat affected Europe, North America and other regions through heat waves, wildfires, drought, water stress and reported deaths, although the official U.S. summer ranking remains contested because of data adjustments and measurement differences.
Additional Articles
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
NOAA, NASA, and Copernicus reported that August 2026 was the hottest August or hottest month recorded globally, as ocean heat, regional extremes, and El Nino affected conditions worldwide.
Copernicus Climate Change Service reported in August 2026 that global air and sea temperatures reached records worldwide, while El Nino amplified human driven warming.
⭐⭐⭐
NOAA ranked the contiguous United States' summer 2026 as the warmest by average temperature, with Southwest heat and warm nights driving the record.
Copernicus reported that August 2026 tied the global temperature record as climate change and El Nino drove exceptional heat worldwide.
Copernicus Climate Change Service reported in September 2023 that August 2023 tied July as the hottest global month recorded, while the United States and Europe experienced exceptional summer heat.
Copernicus Climate Change Service reported that August recorded Earth's highest global monthly temperature in 2020s-era observations worldwide.
NOAA reported in 2026 that the United States recorded its hottest summer in 132 years, as climate change and El Nino drove widespread heat across the Lower 48 states.
Copernicus Climate Change Service reported in August 2026 that global temperatures tied the previous monthly record, with El Nino adding to human-caused warming worldwide.
NOAA reported that the contiguous United States experienced its warmest average June-August period in 2026, based on a 132-year temperature record.
In the United States, a 2026 climate analysis challenged NOAA-based claims that summer 2026 was unequivocally the hottest summer ever by highlighting dataset adjustments and contrasting observations.